Lessons learned is a series of writings by Hans Park depicting the life of a Tokyo architect. The fourth part of the series explores the idea of designing and encouraging societal change. The topic is related to Hans’ work with Dekimasen, an organisation that he co-founded for finding keys to positive societal development in Japan.
"I never have time to laze around."
Experiencing it
I have recently grown an interest towards social change, and not only exploring it but also delivering it and promoting it as a source for personal development and a tool against boredom. In Asia, observing change is effortless when looking at speedy economic and urban development. However, change in social attitudes lags behind. Meanwhile, somewhere else the development of egalitarian social attitudes flourishes while urban development remains stagnant. Why is this?
In places, communities and nations where the collective memory and the experience of change are fresh, it is easier to find the fringes that will grow to challenge the status quo. These communities are probably also good at putting a handle on change as a tangible activity suited for their needs, visions and hopes.
The question is, why are some communities better at seeking change, producing it and adapting to it while others stand still. The communities which understand the value of change are also likely to understand that the engine for change can be anyone. It can be started up by anything. Change is not an inherited talent – it needs to be practiced, experienced and developed for it to find its place in a society.
No, we can’t
Many never experience positive change. People live in the margins of society, belong to discriminated communities or fall into a category that does not generate enough representation for their voices to be heard. In places where voting is not enough to achieve a better future, other public-based mechanisms need to be discovered. The question remains if there is a way to bypass government, special interest think tanks and the media to create change.
In January, shortly after Barack Obama took office, I gathered with friends in Tokyo for dinner ending up in a conversation on the seemingly impossible notion of positive and enduring change in Japan. The general opinion was that there is little or no hope for social change here, and that pursuing change is pointless. No, we can’t, we chanted. In the midst of optimism for change in America there was something relieving in admitting powerlessness in this part of the world and approaching change through negation.
Early 2009 Tokyo launched its now unsuccessful Olympic Games 2016 bid with its Japanese slogan ‘Because of Japan, we can’ (Nihon dakara dekiru). However, for us, ‘Because of Japan, we can’t’ (Nihon dakara dekimasen) seemed more appropriate and inspirational. And with these ingredients and the decision to dig deeper into the local inability for change, the Dekimasen project was born.
Finding it difficult to envision what Dekimasen could turn into we asked people about the areas in which they feel they have no voice or no power to bring about positive change for themselves or in the society. The common reply to the question was ‘I don’t know’ but with more time for contemplation the answers grew personal, diverse and interesting. The round of interviews with people triggered the idea to document and share topics or issues that the public finds difficult to overcome in Japan.
The Dekimasen project is an exercise to create change in a place that rarely sees it. Starting by looking for clues and keys to systemic ways of gathering information and voices of the public for the public we try to create a categorised ‘database of voices’. This will hopefully open doors for more ideas and conversations that lead to a future of many positive changes. Perhaps one day we can.